Too Little Too Late
by Jino and the Pencil
Summary: "Can you believe it? I gave up everything that mattered to get something I should have known was impossible in the first place." Future!fic. Established Faberry. Rated T for mild swearing. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer: I do not own glee or any of its characters. Sigh.**

x-x-x

Quinn Fabray fiddled with her cellphone nervously and glanced around the café for the fourth time. Her nerves were tingling in a very unpleasant way as she waited for the person she was looking forward to meet after so long. Searching for any sign of a five foot two brunette, she was so absorbed in her quest to find tan skin and a megawatt smile that she didn't see someone approach her table.

Just then, Quinn heard someone clear their throat and she whipped her head around so fast that the poor waitress nearly stumbled back in shock. The blonde ex HBIC frowned slightly but her hard glare softened when she saw that the poor girl holding the tray was shaking in her heels. The girl looked so pale and may have fainted if Quinn hadn't cocked her eyebrows in confusion and irritation. "C-Coffee m-miss?" The girl whimpered timidly and nearly started crying with relief when Quinn shook her head and declined with a small smile.

As the waitress hurried away (was she really that intimidating?) she was left to sift through her increasingly somber thoughts. Quinn glanced out the see-through walls of the café and she took in every single detail of New York City. People were going about with their business as usual and the traffic crawled to a slow stop when a taxi driver abruptly cut through the fast flowing traffic to get to his desired exit, leaving a trail of chaos behind him as office workers swerved out of his way, rolling down their windows to shout vulgarities that could have made a sailor blush. Had it already been five years?

Time had slowed to a crawl when she had left NYC to pursue a career in medicine, leaving behind a heartbroken but understanding ex-girlfriend. They had promised to keep in touch as friends but it didn't turn out all too well. It was mostly her fault though. She knew that but it didn't make it any easier to accept.

Quinn debated with her inner self as she thought of some words to say, but it was practically useless because the ex-cheerleader knew that would cease all brain functions the moment she laid her eyes on Rachel Berry again. It had been ridiculous really, that two life-long enemies had fallen in love with each other, in the last year of high school no less. Finn nearly had an aneurysm when he found out that his two once-girlfriends were now batting for the other team, and had been the butt of jokes for turning two extremely hot girls "gay". The quarterback did not appreciate his manhood being made fun off (even if it was small by normal standards) and tried to break up her very weak and budding romantic relationship until Kurt and Mercedes accused him of being a vile human being with homophobia, which finally got him to back off. Poor Finn's status was nearly burned to the ground after that unfortunate escapade.

The sudden clack of heels and sudden utter silence of the café broke Quinn out of her thoughts and prompted her to look up. Her jaw fell open when she saw the magnificent- no _glorious_ sight before her.

Rachel berry stood in all her shining glory, wearing an adorable blue dress that accented all of her womanly curves which contrasted with the fuck me heels on her feet, coupled with the dazzling smile on her face made a lethal combination which could have made a lesser humans crumple into a drooling soppy mess at her feet. This did not include Quinn, of course.

Shit, close your mouth Fabray!

"Rach!" The blonde stood on her feet after a brief moment of staring and leaned forward to capture the diva in a bone-crushing hug which was returned just as enthusiastically. The café patrons were all murmuring in excitement at the scene before them. Famous Broadway Star hugging a stunning blonde at the back of an unknown coffee shop in broad daylight? Their greedily little eyes drank the sight before them but eventually turned away, no doubt eager to relay this piece of juicy news to their friends. Phones were busy firing away texts as the Rachel stepped back from her to slide into the seat opposite hers.

"Hello Quinn! It's so nice to see you again after all these years! May I interest you in a cup of delightful freshly made coffee?" The Jewish girl beamed happily and bounced lightly in her seat. Quinn's large grin had softened into a small affectionate smile as she tapped her half empty cup on the table. "Sorry to burst your bubble but I'm already filled with enough coffee to last me a lifetime." She teased gently and laughed when the diva let out an extremely dramatic huff, and pouted cutely.

"Don't antagonize me Quinn Fabray. You don't have to rub it in my face. I know I'm late for our appointment but I have a perfectly reasonable explanation which may or may not come in the form of a PowerPoint. Answer carefully or you may have to face the consequences."

The blonde groaned in faux irritation and leaned back into her seat. "Well I suppose I will let it slip _just_ this once." She rolled her eyes to complete the effect but couldn't help but grin when Rachel just continued pouting. Silence settled between the two women, and while it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, Quinn couldn't help but feel that something was off. She couldn't put her finger on it but something felt…different about their interactions. Her musings were cut off when the girl in front of her spoke in a strong, yet subdued voice.

"I believe you owe me an explanation as well Quinn," Said girl looked up quickly, her previous happy expression fading away into a grimace. "I know this may seem exceptionally blunt even for me, but I think that I should be privy to this information. Why haven't you contacted me in the past five years?" The atmosphere plummeted when the bomb was dropped; and the once relaxed ex-HBIC squirmed in her seat. _"Damn, short and straight to the point as usual. Still, nice to see that this still hasn't changed all that much."_ Quinn thought to herself. She knew that this topic was unavoidable but she was still unprepared for the guilt that welled up inside her and churned in her stomach.

"I know Rachel. Believe me; I owe you a lot of things." Her heart sped up a little when Rachel extended her hands and covered Quinn's with hers. The little strokes that her thumb was doing on her skin was driving her insane, but she willed herself to stay focused on what she was about to say. "The cliff notes version is that I was being a complete and utter moron because I was so stuck on being _somebody_."

The brunette frowned and gestured her to continue her explanation. Quinn sighed and took in a deep breath. "I think you've noticed Rach, that I always wanted acceptance from well…my parents."

"I thought I had moved on and grown up, no longer needing anything but me, you and our future. But when I got that call from Harvard…everything important suddenly went on the backburner, which I assume you know included you." Rachel froze at that admission and stiffly nodded, however her hand remained in its original position.

Quinn felt her eyes dampen slightly but blinked away her tears. This wasn't about the mistakes she made. After graduating from Harvard, she expected to feel accomplished, or proud. But all she felt was that same stinging feeling of regret that coiled in her stomach the day she broke up with Rachel. "I know I promised to call you at least a few times every week but everything just got away from me." She hadn't been thinking clearly when she obviously chose to ignore the urge to call her still girlfriend at that time, and turned to concentrate on her essays instead."

"Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months…and you know the rest." Quinn chuckled somberly, this time her thumb lightly stroked Rachel's warm and soft hands. "You know what the biggest slap in the face was though?" She looked up to stare in her once girlfriend's warm orbs which radiated with sympathy.

"When I went back to show my parents that I had made it, guess what happened? I knocked on the door and my dad answered it. He stood there and stared at me like I was some kind of stranger on his porch, not his daughter." Quinn trembled slightly, but she refused to cry. She would not- _could_ not shed any tears for that family anymore. Family didn't treat their own daughter like a whore after she got pregnant. Family didn't kick their own pregnant child out of her own home to live in some vehicle. "My own father just stood there and called over his shoulder, 'Judy! There's someone's bastard child on our porch. '"

"Can you believe it? I gave up everything that mattered to get something I should have known was impossible in the first place." Rachel leaned across the table to wrap the blonde up in a warm hug after that sentence. In that moment, the hug made Quinn feel so safe, so loved, that when the diva pulled away, her heart literally broke at the sudden loss of warmth. Her pulse fluttered once more when Rachel smiled shyly, almost timidly when she sat back down. Silence settled over both of them once again, but it was broken when Rachel spoke up, her voice a far cry from its usual boisterous self, this one more tender and friendly.

"I forgive you Quinn." The girl nearly sagged in relief at her words and smiled joyously, "In fact I never really held it against you. Every child seeks acceptance and praise from the people who raised and birthed them. I understand the feeling well because I myself went through it."

They both grimaced at that set of horrible memories, mostly caused Shelby Corcoran. That woman had broken Rachel, both emotionally and physically. When Shelby came looking for her child, she expected to find a toddler but got an angst ridden teenager instead. Even so, it didn't give her the excuse to break her own daughter's heart, crushing it into dust. It was an understatement of the century if Quinn said she hated that woman.

Quinn dismissed the thought from her head. She didn't want to think about her now. She wanted to rejoice at the fact that Rachel had forgiven her and that she had a second chance to make everything right. Soon, it would be just Quinn and Rachel; she would make up for all the lost time by showering the diva with love and affection because she _deserved_ it.

She smiled softly at the only person that ever really mattered and stroked Rachel's fingers.

Quinn froze.

"Rachel?" The diva looked up from her musings when she heard the blonde call her name and saw where her gaze was directed at.

"Why are you wearing a wedding ring?"

Quinn watched at Rachel's face contorted to one of shock, before she pulled her hand back as if it was burned. Her face had turned almost expressionless except for the slight glimmer in her eyelids. Quinn remained impassive and felt her body going numb. For a split second, she thought it was a joke. This couldn't be happening. Not to her. She and Rachel were supposed to have their happily ever after and skip off into the sunset. They were supposed get a whitewashed house with a picket fence and two dogs in the suburbs. They would grow old together and lie on their backs while watching the sun rise together every day. It was supposed to be just Quinn and Rachel. Rachel and Quinn.

When she finally found her voice, Quinn felt her throat dry and her chest felt so painful that she thought it might just burst. "Who…did you?" Quinn swallowed and repeated her question more forcefully when the woman before her didn't respond. "_**Who?**_"

Just then, the café burst into a frenzy of whispers again as someone walked through the door. The watched with bated breath as the person approached the table Rachel and Quinn were currently seated at, their held their phones cameras poised and were ready to snap at any moment.

Quinn watched as Santana Lopez slid into the empty seat beside Rachel, kissing her softly on the lips and slipped an arm around her waist; pulling their bodies close together. "Hey Rach." She whispered softly, the taller brunette intertwining her hands with Rachel's. Identical gold bands gleaming brightly on both their hands.

Quinn could only do the one thing she knew. She ran.

And Rachel didn't even stop her.

x-x-x

**Authoress notes:**

**Well **that** was freaking depressing. I was watching collegehumor vids (oh the irony) when this idea popped into my mind. Let it be known that this is the first time I have written anything even remotely related to glee. I also have not watched the show because I think that they are butchering the amazing characters with ridiculous plotlines. That being said, I literally learned everything I know about glee from fanfics alone so I apologize if the characters are being ooc or stuff like that. **

**I would be extremely happy if those who read this fic would review! Expect more stories to come! See you later peeps.**


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